


When Ravens Croaked Over Blood

by rekishi



Category: Merlin (BBC)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-02-25
Updated: 2009-02-25
Packaged: 2017-10-04 02:17:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rekishi/pseuds/rekishi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I keep wondering why your father would knight anyone you haven't put to the test, yet," Merlin said as he smoothed Arthur's jacket down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When Ravens Croaked Over Blood

"Who is that?" the young man nudged the knight next to him and pointed across the courtyard to a man and a woman walking next to one another, talking.

The second man looked up from his game of Tabula and followed the finger. "Oh, that's Gwen. The Lady Morgana's handmaid, real nice lass. Been enough trouble around her at court already, though, you better keep your hands away," he remarked, obviously annoyed by the newest addition to the Knights of Camelot, a boy not even of age but who somehow managed to be knighted by King Uther anyway.

"No no, not the girl. I mean the lean and lanky one next to her," the first man shook his head and pointed again and his companion squinted.

"Merlin, the prince's manservant," he looked at the younger man, "and I don't know if 'lean' is the right word. That said though, you rather keep away from Merlin, too, where he goes disaster strikes, we all are puzzling over why his highness keeps him on." That didn't keep the new boy from following his object of interest with his eyes until he vanished into the castle though.

***  


  
"I keep wondering why your father would knight anyone you haven't put to the test, yet," Merlin said as he smoothed Arthur's jacket down and he could almost see the prince roll his eyes but not _quite_ because no matter how annoyed and exasperated his highness got, he would never have succumbed to something as mundane as rolling his eyes. And sure enough, his manservant knew the reason for that, he had been asking the same question various people at court already and everyone had just simply told him to drop it. Arthur among them.

"Really, Merlin," the prince sighed and left the room in long strides, not waiting for his manservant to pull the doors shut behind them. He wasn't exactly _late_ but he was just wasting time discussion unnecessary things with the man, which he could just as well use to put some distance between himself and the castle. There had been news about a dark haired stranger who saved people on the road from robbers and Arthur idly wondered if maybe Lancelot had braved King Uther's wrath to come back to Albion.

"But it is!" Merlin insisted while trying to catch up with his master. "Not even Sir Llacheu himself would say anything," he added and promptly bumped against Arthur when the prince suddenly stopped and stood rooted to the place in the middle of the corridor.

"You spoke to...Sir Llacheu," the prince finally turned around and pinned his manservant with a gaze that could very possibly curdle milk.

Merlin drew himself up and Arthur just _knew_ he wanted to pout. "He came to me and asked me to drink some wine with him. He was very nice!"

"Nice," his lord echoed, "nice!" Then he rubbed his forehead with one hand. "Come on, you can muck my horse's stall while I'm out."

Merlin gaped. "But! Arthur you said I didn't have to do that anymore, you said the grooms could do it much more effectively anyway!"

"Yes, well, I changed my mind." And no way was this retaliation. After all, Merlin couldn't know, no one had told him (and no one would, if everything went according to plan, no one was supposed to know). But maybe he should have a word with their newest addition to the knights, what with...fraternizing with other people's servants. Maybe he should assign a squire to the lad.

***  


  
"'Muck my stable' he says," Merlin muttered to himself as he entered the physician's chambers and Gaius looked up from his parchment to see his young charge covered in straw and what smelled suspiciously like horse apples.

"Merlin...," the old man sighed and got up to fetch spare clothing before all the muck was dragged through the rooms. "Whatever did you do again?"

"Mucked Arthur's stables. As per his highness's request, of course," he mock-bowed and pulled his shirt off. "Never mind he said it wasn't necessary I do that anymore. No, what his highness Crown Prince Arthur of Camelot wants his manservant does."

"Not without complaining."

"I can complain all I want," Merlin frowned.

Gaius just looked mildly at him. "Actually, just for that the prince could have you in the stocks. Again. Or the dungeons. It is your _job_ to serve Arthur, don't forget that."

"I'm not forgetting that but would it hurt him if he was a little _nicer_ about it?" He scrubbed rather ineffectually at the dung covering his arms. "I mean he's a prat, I get that. Nothing new there. But I saved his life so many times by now and he just doesn't-!"

"Know?" Gaius tossed a cloth to him and brought water.

"Yes. Then again, this is Arthur. He wouldn't be nicer, he'd just find a way to be a prat about it. So it's just as well he doesn't know. Still, he could be a little more like Sir Llacheu." Merlin finished wiping himself off and slipped into the fresh shirt. The youngest of the knights talked to him like he was a real person, not just an errand boy, and he was funny and charming and good looking, too and Merlin thought maybe he was a little bit infatuated. The fact that the man had kissed him full on the mouth when he was all drunk and silly didn't help to dissipate that feeling in the least.

The court physician looked up sharply. "Merlin, you really should let the matter of Sir Llacheu rest, there's no good coming out of you pursuing it further."

"Why does everyone keep telling me that?" the younger man whined as his mentor sat down at his writing table again.

"Because, my dear boy, that is the way it is supposed to be," Gaius sighed but he did it with a smile.

 

***  


  
"Gaius told Gwen he's not spending a lot of nights in his own bed," Morgana broke through Arthur's reverie, the one where he was tracking Merlin's movements across the courtyard with his eyes. His manservant was currently greeting Sir Llacheu with a smile that might just have blinded everyone around and Llacheu wrapped an arm around his waist and Arthur thought he might be sick right there and then. He pried his eyes away from the scene and looked at his surrogate sister.

"Who, Gaius?" the prince asked in a feeble attempt to sidetrack but Morgana would have none of it and just held his eyes with those inscrutable, unwavering eyes of hers and he shook his head. "I won't order him where to sleep."

She pursed her lips and bit back a 'No, that would require you to actually talk to him' and took his arm, pulling him away from the balustrade and on the way to the throne hall where they were expected in a little while. "Have you considered telling him?" And she really wondered if this stubborn prince with whose moods they'd all been dealing with these last few weeks would catch the double meaning.

"Why would I? Have _you_ told Gwen?" He didn't, why had she expected anything else? But he did offer her his arm in the proper fashion and never let it be said that Arthur Pendragon couldn't be a gentleman if he wanted to.

"If he had started shagging her right after his arrival here, yes I would have." The protest was in his eyes before he could take a breath and she cut him off before he could make a sound. "'It is none of anyone else's business', I know what Uther said. But Llacheu is your concern for obvious reasons and Merlin is _clearly_ your concern so maybe you should make your own decision here. Sometimes there are more important things than a father's orders." Patting his shoulders with her free hand she just hoped that no one else had heard her...and he would catch what she wanted to say.

***  


  
Gwen blinked at her friend over her cup of mulled wine and wanted to start talking for the third time already but halted once more, biting her lip. She was happy that Merlin thought he was happy but...there was just no helping it, it was so bloody _obvious_ that she was surprised no one had caught up on it, yet. Or maybe they had and were just too polite to say anything, just like herself. A look for help in Gaius direction over the steady stream of Merlin's bright chatter showed her the old man shrugging in a resigned manner, confirming her suspicion.

"That sounds wonderful, Merlin," she forced a smile as she collected the pouch the physician handed her. "I'll be off, then." She exhaled long and deep when she had finally closed the door behind her and didn't even mind standing in the cold. The end of the year wasn't far and the days were getting shorter and everyone was usually glad to be inside but she didn't think she could have managed to listen to Merlin gush about Sir Llacheu (all the while _comparing him to Arthur_ like the prince was a gift of the gods) any more than she had, no matter how much she liked her friend. Certainly, the fact that Morgana had nothing but rude comments about the young knight and that he usually ignored her as if she wasn't present when Merlin was around didn't help her developing sympathies for him, either. She had no idea where Morgana's dislike came from but assumed that there was a good reason for it.

Arthur almost bumped into her when she huddled into her coat and made her way across the frozen courtyard towards the living quarters and he had to steady her by the elbow, else she would have fallen. "Thank you, your highness."

"No matter. Say, have you seen Merlin?" He smiled down at her with an expression of mild resignation and again she wondered how Merlin could be so utterly _blind_ to what went on around him.

"He was with Gaius, just a second ago." Hesitating, wondering if she should say anything, she smiled at the prince again and went on her way up to Morgana's chambers. Her friend stood close to the window and peeked through the drapes. "Is something wrong?"

"No, not...exactly," the King's ward let the drapes fall into place again and turned around, grinning. "Uther got reports on people vanishing and wants Arthur to investigate. Arthur, Llacheu and Merlin." Gwen's eyes went big and she had to cover her mouth with one hand and clear her throat.

"Merlin," she echoed with disbelief. There was no doubt the King knew who Merlin was, after all the ruckus of the previous year or so, but there had never been a time when he had actually ordered the man to do anything in particular. And like _this_, too.

Morgana meanwhile was grinning openly. "Well, literally he said 'and since neither of you has a squire right now, take your manservant, that one can at least hold reins and leashes'. It was not easy to not congratulate him on being brilliant and stupid at the same time. Arthur just sputtered."

Gwen frowned. Certainly, the constellation was doomed from the start but that couldn't be all the reason Morgana was this amused. "What are you not telling me?"

But her friend just shook her head. "I can't tell you."

Gwen's frown only deepened and she narrowed her eyes. "This is about the thing that Merlin was annoying everyone about before this all started, isn't it? About why Llacheu is here all of a sudden, right?"

The other woman's mouth twitched and she raised an eyebrow but otherwise just shrugged. "Did Gaius have what I asked for?" she changed the topic.

***  


  
Merlin was a way behind them, fighting not so much with his horse but with the hound they'd taken with them, even in snow the animal could probably detect people better than them with their human senses. Arthur shot a quick look behind him to make sure his manservant wasn't paying attention. "You _didn't_ tell him, did you?" He was rather sure that the young knight hadn't, it was as much in Llacheu's interest to keep this between the five of them as it was in his own. And besides, Merlin would probably have come to him already, bursting with questions.

"Of course I didn't," Llacheu said airily and yawned a little. They had left at first light and the night hadn't been long for either of them, considering the short notice with which they had gotten the order. "I don't have a desire to cause trouble, Arthur, no rhyme or reason to that. I just want to be in Camelot and do my duty to the King and the kingdom and else just live my life as much as I can." He shrugged. "So why would I tell him?"

Arthur didn't say anything to that and just spurred his horse into a light trot; he really didn't know why what was going on between Merlin and Llacheu annoyed him so much (aside from the fact that Merlin had neglected his duties somewhat but that wasn't exactly a _new_ development). He also didn't know what to make of Morgana's knowing looks all the time.

"Do you mind?" Llacheu asked from the side, closing the gap between them.

"Why would I mind? I don't care who you get your leg over any more than I care about it with the rest of my men," Arthur answered calmly and he didn't, not really. Usually. For some reason though, the constellation of Merlin and Llacheu annoyed him to no end but he'd be damned if he ever let on to that.

"Because I stole the attention of your manservant away, possibly?" it was said so smug and with so much artificial mirth that Arthur could have strangled him, a feeling he'd never had with any of his other men. However, he would have replied something non-committal as 'don't be ridiculous, Merlin is as little attentive as ever' if he hadn't heard the uncharacteristic crunching beneath his horse's hooves, of something _loose_ rather than packed, just a split second before the animal's scream deafened him and finding himself midair, enveloped by darkness.

His reflexes had taken over before his mind even realised anything and he had jumped from the saddle and into the dark; even if there was nothing around him, every single scenario was better than being crushed by and trapped beneath a dying horse at the bottom...if there was such a thing as a bottom.

But his hands found unexpected purchase; what felt like stone ripped open his palms while scraping along and he finally stopped falling with a jolt against solid stone, only his fingers holding on to a very narrow ledge. He groaned, he knew, but it hurt and there seemed to be no other sound in him.

Merlin had seen Arthur vanish, swallowed by the Earth itself, and only realised he had let go of the hound's leash and spurred his horse on when he was already kneeling next to the hole that had opened underneath his friend, murmuring, "No, no, no, no, no, no! Arthur!" He could hear groaning but couldn't see anything from the little light that fell into the...crevice? Whatever, it didn't matter. He looked up at Llacheu and realised at once that he wouldn't be any help, he just sat on his horse, stunned and stared.

"Llacheu!" he said sharply and it seemed like at least part of the man's mind was still in something like working order, or it was just the command tone that let him respond. "Throw me that rope attached to my saddle. _Hurry_!"

"Isn't Arthur-"

Merlin got up, heart hammering in his chest and snatched the length of rope himself, then walked up to the other horse, took it by the bridle and wrenched its head around. "Ride to Camelot, and get help."

"But-"

"Go already!" the horse received a hard clap to the rump and sped off, the young knight flailing for a second but then obviously finding his bearings. Merlin truly didn't care, right in that moment, if he fell and cracked his head open and made his way over to the hole again. "Arthur?" he called tentatively but still couldn't see anything, not even a glint of gold hair.

Arthur meanwhile was reminded of the other time he had clung to a stone wall in a cave, sword lost and scrabbling all around him, but at least back then he'd been able to navigate along it; now all he had were holds for his fingers, and those slick with blood that even now was running along his arms, and for one foot, the other trying find a hold but there just was nothing. Nothing at all. He thought he heard Merlin call his name but was too busy trying to hold on, literally for dear life, to answer. His limbs were getting heavy, most of his weight was hanging from his fingers which were going stiff from being overstrained. The screams of his horse had stopped fairly quickly and he wondered of the poor beast was dead already or if the pit was just bottomless and it had fallen beyond hearing range. And then he thought he really didn't want to know.

"Arthur, if you're there, I'm letting a rope down now!" Merlin called, really hoping he hadn't only imagined the sound he had thought was a groan; then again he knew Arthur so well, it would have been hard to mistake that. Belatedly it occurred to him that he had no idea how wide the chasm was on the inside, where Arthur was, if the rope was even long enough. His heart was still hammering away in his chest and he could hear his own breathing. There was no one around, no one but, hopefully, Arthur so... He squeezed his eyes shut and hoped that he didn't make the wrong choice now.

But on the other hand, if he let Arthur die, there would be not much point to having come to Camelot in the first place and he would have _listened to that demented dragon sprouting away about destiny_ for absolutely nothing. So Merlin let his breath out in a stream if whispered words and a ball of blue light appeared in his hand, which he let descend into the hole and watched as it skimmed around the chasm, illuminating nothing on three sides and a wall of solid stone on the last. No bottom. Swallowing, he imagined how it would be to maybe see Arthur shattered on the floor...until there was a shimmer of something in the eerie light.

Not trusting his eyes, the prince stared at the sphere of blue light and it made the memory of that first time only more prominent, there had been that light too. There had not been something hitting his fingers then, though, not a piece of rope dangling close to him; it was a temptation but it was one he didn't quite dare reach for, he knew if he let go of his handhold he would fall. But he also knew, if he waited much longer his fingers would be too stiff to hold onto it and there was just no other hope of rescue. So he took one last steadying breath and thought _Merlin, you idiot, if you let go of that damn rope I'll find a way to take you with me, I swear_ and took a leap of faith, breath knocking out of his lungs when his bloody and torn palms closed around the material. It held, went taut and he was hanging there, suspended only the slippery cord in his hands and the strength of Merlin and Llacheu and Arthur hoped to every power there was that they knew what they were doing, because he didn't have the strength for a climb anymore.

Merlin, of course, knew that he wasn't strong enough to pull his friend up alone. Arthur would have dragged him down along with him and who would have saved them then? So he held the rope tight with his mind and allowed himself to think for a split second; he had wanted to bind the end to a stirrup or the saddle or something and lead the horse so its strength would pull the prince up but he could see the rope was fraying slightly already and the friction of pulling it over the edge would probably make it tear long before the task was accomplished. And also, the ground was starting to give way on one side of the chasm already and he really didn't want to be here when the small hill caved in upon itself and who knew how solid the stone wall really was that Arthur had clung to so desperately?

In the end, he did the only thing he could do, suspended the rope close to the edge but not so it would fray and tear and pulled, slowly, with his powers. It felt like it took forever and maybe it did, but then Llacheu, who had proved to be more useless than Merlin would have ever thought possible, would have been back with help, they were only a few hours leisure ride out. The hound they had brought with them barked once, a signal of attention but Merlin shushed it quickly as to not disturb his concentration. Eventually though, Arthur was close enough that he could extend his hand and pull the man the rest of the way to the surface and a few steps towards the horse, temporary safety. They fell to their knees, both panting and Merlin could see how torn the other's clothes were and the blood on his hands and the scrapes on his face and yet he didn't think the prince had ever been more handsome.

When Arthur's lungs didn't burn anymore and he could feel his arms again, if not the sting that should have been in his palms from placing them on the cold and dirty forest floor, he raised one and put it around Merlin's shoulders, crooked it slightly so the younger man was well and truly caught and tugged him closer. It took maybe half a second but Merlin didn't resist and Arthur eventually rested his lips against his temple, still breathing heavily. They remained like that for a long while and he tried to think. The light had been with him all the way up to the surface, where Merlin had pulled him out, then it had just vanished, it seemed. He knew. And possibly, it was time Merlin knew something, too.

"He's my brother," Arthur said and it was quiet and only for Merlin's ears but Merlin didn't understand and pulled away from the half-embrace Arthur had pulled him into because it was utterly distracting to have Arthur's lips on his face and the man's breath fanning over him like that, and even if he was smelling of blood and sweat and fear still, it was unbearable.

"What do you mean?" he frowned. Arthur was the only child of Uther Pendragon and the Queen Igraine, there had been no other children and anyway, Llacheu and the Crown Prince were completely different and- The picture of Arthur he had in his memory superimposed with Llacheu's and yes, Llacheu was dark where Arthur was golden but they had the same ready smile, the same quirk of eyebrow and while Llacheu was incredibly nice and polite and lovely every day he was incredibly bossy and demanding when they had a tumble and he had just never made the connection. "Oh."

"You really never...noticed?" Arthur raised both eyebrows at him and Merlin could just shrug.

"But how. I mean. Your mother-" Igraine had, for all that was public about it, died during Arthur's birth and Llacheu was several years younger than the prince, so.

"Half brother, Merlin. Wrong side of the blanket." The other man made to get up and pulled him along, too, and they had almost overbalanced and landed on their behinds but managed to catch themselves at the last moment. The hound came up and snuffled at Arthur's boots and he reached a hand down to let the animal assure itself that aside from scrapes, he was fine. Even though his hands both looked more like he had been fighting a war all day; just his own fault for not wearing gauntlets.

The younger man was obviously still digesting the news, something he should not ever have known by rights, but maybe Morgana had been right, not that he would ever tell her that much. "We should get back."

Merlin nodded and they had to double up, with only one horse remaining and neither of them was exactly keen on walking. Arthur didn't question where Llacheu was, there was probably a good reason for his absence, the man was a lot of things but the prince didn't take him for a coward, and if it was just to tell their father and everyone that their Crown Prince had vanished, too, just as so many other people. At least they had an answer to that now.

Arthur held the reins lightly in his now-stinging palms, cold and injury making themselves known and Gaius would have a _fit_ when he saw them in that state. Merlin was quiet and sitting rigid behind him. Sighing he said quietly, "I want to go a little faster." He felt as Merlin reluctantly leaned against his back and two arms wrapped around his waist. The prince spurred the horse into a light trot.

Not knowing what to do or say, Merlin just leaned against his friend and held on. Occasionally, Arthur's hand would touch his where they were linked over his belly but other than that there was only the trample of hooves and the panting of the hound bounding along next to them. Arthur had said nothing about the magical light, although he sure had seen it, and nothing about the rope being suspended in thin air, which he might not have seen. And then they slowed again and Merlin was too exhausted and had been too terrified that day and still was and it was just too much and he kept leaning against Arthur's back, didn't let go.

"So that was you," Arthur finally said just loud enough to carry to him and Merlin could feel rather than hear him sigh.

"What do you mean?" There had been a lot of things he'd done, just that day, and he was too tired to ponder which his friend might mean. If he still was his friend. It was just as possible that Merlin was currently being escorted to his own execution. He hoped he wasn't.

Arthur was somewhat glad he couldn't see Merlin's face for this talk they needed to have, before they were back home. Discussing this within the walls in Camelot felt even more like treason than now, riding within the boundaries of the kingdom, but really, Arthur was the future King, he should be allowed to make his own decisions. Sometimes. And Merlin was the furthest from malevolent anyone could ever imagine. "The light. When you were sick, a good while back? There was that same light, too." He had always wondered. Now, of course, it made sense.

The younger man's body went stiff for a second but quickly relaxed back into the horse's walking rhythm. "I don't remember that. I'm...glad I could help, though."

"So." Arthur stated. He was a little unsure on how to go about this but also wondered if there was something like a right way. "How powerful are you?" He felt the shrug and yeah, how was either of them to know? Merlin didn't exactly come across as an authority on magic and Arthur seriously doubted that his manservant's ridiculous behaviour was an act. "Am I still alive because of you? Aside from this time and back then."

There was a long pause but finally he heard Merlin let out a long breath that was, in sections, a little shaky. "Arthur..."

"Yes or no, Merlin. That's not so hard a question, is it?" Merlin thought Arthur's voice was surprisingly gentle, considering he'd been raised with the notion that magic was the root of all evil and had to be eradicated from the kingdom, or maybe even the whole world.

"Yes. I mean...there have been instances when... It is very likely," he stammered and once it was out, he felt a little more at ease, for some reason. Arthur touched his hands again and this time it stayed.

"Don't worry, Merlin, you're safe." And it sounded incredibly determined.

***  


  
They met the rescue party about an hour later, six knights including Llacheu, making haste over the frozen ground, only stopping when they recognised their prince, covered in blood and dirt, but alive. Arthur had disentangled his fingers from Merlin's with a pang of regret and given orders to go back to the castle, the King had to be know about the unstable hillside.

In his account of what had happened, Merlin decided to go with the rope-to-the-saddle version of the story, Arthur's stare burning a hole in his chest and Llacheu's disbelieving glances not fazing him in the least. He didn't mention the fact that the prince had revealed the young man's identity to him, on the other hand he made no secret out of the fact that Llacheu had been unable to make a quick decision about if and how to safe the successor to the throne, out of how shell shocked he'd been. Uther was furious and ordered everyone but his sons out of the hall and Merlin wouldn't have been surprised if the whole of Camelot had started shaking from his rage.

"He just showed up one day, saying his name and that his mother had revealed his father's identity on her deathbed," Morgana said as she came down to Gaius' quarters herself, probably having sent Gwen off on some errand. "He wasn't unpleasant about it, he just said there was nowhere left for him to go and he had decided to come to court and serve. I think Uther felt guilty for some of that and therefore knighted him even though he's not of age and was untested. Arthur was livid but didn't have a chance to protest in the matter." She accepted a cup of wine from Gaius and settled in a chair.

Merlin pondered this for a moment. Of course, there was no way anyone would have told him that, no one talked about bastards, even if they were blindingly obvious. And at least Uther seemed to have his own removed from court, assuming there were more than just Llacheu. "And how did you know about all this? Because don't try to trick me, you _did_ know." He turned to the court physician with a scowl but Gaius just shrugged.

"I know most secrets this court harbours," he answered casually, "that's something age brings with it. Kings and Queens and princes, they're all just people and when sick, people will talk."

Merlin shared a look with Morgana over this answer and could see that she was just as uncomfortable with it as he was. Maybe the old man was more sly than either of them had expected.

***  


  
Arthur jerked awake when the door to his chambers opened and someone slipped inside. He really wasn't up for fighting with an assassin and for half a second he wondered if maybe it would be easier to just lie still and let him get him but then the figure stood rooted to a spot in front of the bed in the last light of the banked fire. "It is the middle of the night, Merlin," he sighed and opened his eyes fully to not just squint at his friend.

He could hear Merlin's breath hitch and then, "I needed to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine. And with the amounts of wine that Gaius poured over my hands we could have had a nice feast," Arthur remarked after a quiet moment. It was easy, too easy, to understand Merlin; they'd been through too many near-death experience lately and the only thing that had sometimes kept him from slipping out of his chambers and checking on the man had been the fact that it would worry everyone who saw him, the Crown Prince, entering the court physician's chambers at night, however covert. Right, and in the last few months the fact that Merlin didn't seem to favour his own bed.

Frowning, he pushed that last thought aside. "Satisfied?" His eyes were getting their bearings in the dark room and he could see the other man bite his lip. "Anything else?" He hoped it didn't sound as gruff as it did in his own ears, his sleep had been fitful and he didn't feel at all rested. When his manservant continued his statue-imitation he sighed and sat up. "Merlin?"

"You were so...unsurprised!" he finally burst out in a hushed exclamation.

Arthur blinked. "By what?" And then Merlin's eyes flashed golden and the fire roared back to life. "Ah. Well, I was hanging by a rope over a bottomless pit, I didn't quite have the time to have an epiphany or throw a tantrum, did I?" Merlin looked a little unsteady on his feet and made the last two steps towards the bed and sat on the edge of the mattress.

"And after?"

"After, I thought if you were truly evil like my father seems to think all sorcerers are, you could have probably killed me a hundred times over by now and had not gotten me out of there, either." He scooted over and finally sat cross-legged next to Merlin. "So I figured there was at least one user of magic in this world who isn't set on wiping out my line and that was enough."

"Isn't that treason?" the other man whispered and Arthur could do nothing but nod.

"It most likely is and if I weren't the Crown Prince I would question loyalties. But I am, so for me it's a non-issue. All right? But no more secrets from now on, that will hopefully get us in less trouble, too." The discussion was over for him when Merlin nodded and was therefore surprised when he grabbed his hand and slowly peeled the bandages away.

"Did Gaius tell you it looks worse than it is?" he asked after some inspection of the honey-smeared palm.

"He did. Still stings, though."

"But it's not oozing anymore," Merlin said with relief and when he replaced the bandage something started tickling in Arthur's fingers and washed over the injury and the ache lessened. The same procedure was repeated with the other hand but that one Merlin wouldn't let go of. Arthur didn't stop to examine his thoughts when he laced their hands and leaned forward to press his lips against the other man's throat, moving no further, just stayed there and breathed against that white expanse of skin.

He hadn't expected the sound Merlin would make, somehow raw and sad and happy at the same time and he also hadn't expected the man pushing him back on the bed and plastering himself to Arthur. And he hated himself in that moment, because Merlin was warm and smelled good and it was just plain _nice_ and Arthur's arms were already closing around him but he still had to ask, had to, "Llacheu?"

But Merlin just chuckled and nuzzled against Arthur's neck. "Don't need a nitwit lover. Not when I should have been with a royal prat from the very beginning." And it was probably good that he cut off any protest with a long kiss and murmured, "I'll do the work," when Arthur made a gesture as to his unusable palms.

***  


  
Merlin continued not sleeping in his own bed too often, although with what seemed much more approving noises from Gwen and Morgana. Even Gaius didn't seem too disturbed by the development, although Arthur was sure not to put on the same show with as Llacheu had.

The young knight didn't seem too upset about the breakup (and Gwen later said she'd heard him murmur 'At least it was over Arthur and not over Gaius', which made Arthur even more insistent Merlin spend the nights in his bed) and was later seen a lot more with his new squire than was required. He turned out to be one of the most fearless of all of his brother's men, but his identity would not be revealed until after Uther's death.

Merlin was propped up on Arthur's bed reading when the young King came in and settled down close, one hand stroking along the other man's back. "If I went to war, would you come with me?"

The court sorcerer pursed his lips and looked up. "You sure know how to make an offer, don't you?" Arthur shrugged, smiled and still expected an answer. "Who do you want to battle, then?" Merlin went up on his knees and pressed a kiss to the King's lips, slowly undoing the lacings of their clothing with his hands and his magic.

"Well, Lucius Tiberius is quite insolent these days..."

-FIN-

**Author's Note:**

> Llacheu is by no means an original character of mine. According to legend, Llacheu is one of Arthur's sons (my guess is illicit) and he is powerful and fearless but the legend has been bent by the BBC so much that I thought this wouldn't be a break in style at all. The title stems from a line in the Welsh poem Mi a Wum which tells of Llacheu and also of his death.


End file.
